Friday night's Love System: A Night For Marriage Equality gig will give all those lucky enough to have a ticket a two-pronged feeling of awesomeness. On on side you'll bear witness to some of the country's absolute best live acts (including entertainment.ie's 'Best Live Act in Ireland', as per The Erics in January) and on the other, you'll be helping generate some much-needed funds for the worthiest of causes - Marriage Equality.

We caught up with Le Galaxie's commander-in-chief Michael Pope to gather his thoughts on the show, the issue of marriage equality in our society and the small matter of the imminent-ish release of Le Galaxie's second album.

Words: John Balfe

How's everything going in Camp Le Galaxie? Are all systems primed for the release of the second record later this year?

Everything is falling in to place nicely. It makes a nice change not to be rushing to make a deadline. We've often been guilty of putting ourselves under too much pressure and then we get all cranky. But taking our time to write and record our favourite 13 songs has been a pleasure. ALL FILLER NO KILLER!

The last time I spoke to you I think the record had just recently been mixed by Eric Broucek. Where are we at now, insofar as you're able to divulge? Has the mastering, artwork, and the many other little thing that go into making a record, been completed?

We're just back from LA with our completed second record 'Le Club' in hand! Well, in reality it's a USB key in my jeans pocket, but that doesn't sound as glamorous, now does it? Eric was a whole other level. His ear, his ideas, his skillset...all a serious step up from anything we've encountered before. There'll be some tracks and remixes dropping (sorry) in the next few weeks, so the campaign has begun in earnest. As for artwork, we're thinking Grumpy Cat with a Comic Sans logo.

Half of Le Galaxie with Eric Broucek sandwiched in between

About the Love System gig this Friday in The Academy, I understand you were at least partially responsible for picking the other acts on the bill (Ships, Daithi and Mother DJs). For people reading this who mightn't be familiar with those names, can you explain why they can't be missed on the night?

Mother: The greatest nightclub on the planet.

Ships: Dark, devilish disco with real heart.

Daithi: Like watching Ireland win a world cup quarter final.

The gig this Friday is to help raise funds for Marriage Equality. It appears we may be headed towards a referendum to address this sometime next year. Do you think this might be the big social litmus test of our generation?

Oh definitely. It's a big question that needs to be given a big answer. In Ireland, we grew up with the echoes of the real dark ages of Catholic abuse, indoctrination and rhetoric still ringing in our ears. We still had 'Religion' class. We were told about Adam and Eve (Eve had a bellybutton, you fucking idiots). But I think we we're right on the edge of enlightenment. Our knowledge of the outside world, not the Catholic world, was about to explode. We realised that men loved men, women loved women, some people loved both. There'll always be clowns who don't accept the world the way it is, look at Jim Corr or Kanye West, but we've got truth and love on our side, baby. We can't lose!

Do you feel that we have a generally tolerant society to LGBT issues, even if there isn't legislation in place to support it? Or do you think that there is still a great deal of work to be done in that area?

There will always be backwards, meathead homophobes out there. And whenever a report of a LGBT person being physically assaulted, the heart sinks a little. Things are good now but they need to be much, much better. Get out and vote for equality. That's a start. Show the scrotes that the world is changing, with or without them.

How is the remainder of 2014 looking for Le Galaxie? Presumably you've got a big few months on the horizon?

Well first single proper from the album 'Humanise' is coming in the next few weeks, along with some outstanding remix work from The Japanese Popstars and Blende. Then amongst UK and Irish summer festivals (LONGITUDE YO!!!!) we'll be working with Absolut on a video project for our tune 'Carmen (feat. MayKay). That'll be an incredible video featuring thousands of digitized Le Galaxie fans! Then in the autumn is Le Club time. Do you know Le Club?

Finally, where has the lovely Ruth Medjber-shot ent.ie award for Best Live Band ended up, and is it a continual source of motivation and inspiration for all four of you?

Ruth nicked it and sold it to the highest bidder. Easiest €4 she ever made.

Tickets to see Le Galaxie at The Academy on Friday 9th May will cost you a very reasonable €16.50 and are available from Ticketmaster. All proceeds will go towards Marriage Equality.